Island Guardian

Friday, September 7th

The “San Juan Islands” Action Area

ig_PSP_ActionAreaMap-1 (76k image)

the Puget Sound Partnership (Partnership) has released a map showing the boundary lines that define the “San Juan Action Area.” The name should not be confused with the name of our county boundaries, since the boundaries of an Action Area signify a geographic area, as opposed to a governmental area.

There are six Action Areas, which combine all, or portions of, deferent counties and cities into areas that share “Common issues and interests...Characteristics of the Sound's physical structure,” and “How water flows into and within the Sound.”

The defining of the borders of the Areas will allow the development of an agenda ( 2020 Action Agenda) by the Partnership’s Leadership Council . The Partnership’s Ecosystem Coordination Board will have at least one representative from each Area (the Central Puget Sound Area will have two), and will be one of the groups that will help to form the Agenda.

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Thursday, September 6th

Will Take Billions To Protect/Restore PS

ig_PSP_Hilary_Presentation_1 (60k image)
( Hilary Culverwell of Puget Sound Partnership addresses Friday Harbor group)

The latest effort to protect the waters of the Puget Sound took place in June of this year when the Gov. Appointed State Leaders to the Leadership Council of the PSP (Puget Sound Partnership), a new state agency charged with designing a program that will “Protect and Restore Puget Sound” by the year 2020..

The SJI League of Women Voters sponsored a trip yesterday (9-5-07) by PSP representative Hilary Culverwell, who addressed a group of some thirty interested members of the public and a number of government employees, on the background, the need for, and the purpose of the PSP.

As one might expect, there was the ubiquitous PowerPoint presentation of talking points, photos, charts and graphs; but Culverwell was obviously a seasoned presenter who used the PowerPoint show-and-tell as a background aid to her presentation, and came across as being both realistic and honest about the problem, while dedicated to working toward solutions.

There was the Bull Kelp and the marine bird examples given that showed the complexity of identifying cause and effect. There is only one area in which Bull Kelp has decreased, she said, (photo of Bull Kelp on the screen) while in other areas it has remained the same, or increased in area. But, she said, the same cannot be said for other types of flora and fauna in the Puget Sound area. And one striking example she gave is the marine bird population. 19 of the 30 marine birds found in the Puget Sound region have decreased by 20% from 1978 to 2004.

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Wednesday, September 5th

Ron Keeshan's "The Web of Life"

rk-GB_Poster-2 (76k image)
[link]

Tuesday, September 4th

Sept 5 Whale Museum’s Lecture Series

Identifying Prey and Summer Diet in Southern Resident Killer Whales
The Whale Museum’s lecture series continues with a talk by Dr. Brad Hanson at the museum at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, September 5. Dr. Hanson will discuss his team’s research on the summer diet and prey stock identification of the fish-eating “southern resident” killer whales, addressing a key recovery need using fish scales, fecal samples, and genetic techniques.

Dr. Hanson is a wildlife biologist with NOAA Fisheries. He joined the Northwest Fisheries Science Center in April 2003. Dr. Hanson earned his Ph.D. from the University of Washington where he worked on the development of improved tag attachment systems for small cetaceans. He also holds an M.S. in Fisheries from the University of Washington and a B.A. in Zoology also from the University of Washington.

The September 5 lecture is free and open to the public, although donations are appreciated. For more information, call (360) 378-4710 ext. 23. The Whale Museum is located in Friday Harbor at 62 First St. N.

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SJ Preservation Trust’s $650K Fundraising Succeeds

ig_SJPT_Watmough_GoalReached-1 (56k image) The recent fundraising campaign by the SJPT ( San Juan Preservation Trust ) to raise sufficient money to purchase land inside Watmough Bight on Lopez has been a success. They have now raised the $650,000 needed to purchase and protect a 7-acre property that was susceptible to development SJPT stated the purchase will ensures that Watmough Bight will remain an undeveloped conservation area accessible to the public for generations to come.

County planning and development officials were prepared to approve an application to develop the 7-acre parcel adjacent to the beach at the head of Watmough Bay. That plan called for the removal of 60 percent of the trees on the property, including some that are at least 400 years old.

It also called for the construction of a house on the slope overlooking the public beach, rocky cliffs, and sensitive wildlife habitat that have already been protected by the Land Bank and the federal Bureau of Land Management

“The island community responded in a big way in a very short period of time,” said Sven Haarhoff, director of charitable giving for the San Juan Preservation Trust. “The overwhelming support of this conservation project from throughout San Juan County – and beyond – underscores the importance of this dramatically beautiful, ecologically sensitive, and much loved bay. Thank you to everyone who took part in making this land conservation project a success.”

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